Retro-reflection and safe driving

DELTA is involved in improving safe driving. What are you really looking at when talking about safe driving?

Poul Svensgaard. Many parameters influence safe driving on roads. No doubt the 'human factor' is a major contributor to traffic accidents, but conditions on and around the road may also influence the safety level of the road. Here, traffic guidance in the form of road markings and road signs are very important to keep the vehicles on the road and in the correct lane in order to avoid accidents.

An increasing number of countries collect road statistics to record the number and severity of accidents. Such data can be used to spot sections of roads where accidents tend to happen more frequently, as well as decide on measurements to improve traffic guidance. The better the guidance tools perform, the less the risk of accidents happening.

What are the most critical conditions related to safe driving?

PS. Statistics show that driving at night and in bad weather conditions significantly increases the risk of road accidents, and one important parameter to improve safe driving is to ensure proper retro-reflection from road markings and road signs. It is important that markings and signs can been seen clearly in the distance, even under adverse weather conditions.

Retro-reflection is the result of the car's headlight being returned from road markings or traffic signs. High quality road markings contain glass beads generating retro-reflection. Road signs are based on either glass beads or micro-prismatic sheeting to ensure an efficient retro-reflection level. The ultimate use of both types of traffic guidance is to ensure safe driving.

How can DELTA help improving safe driving?

PS. International standards give direction as to the performance of road markings and road signs and to the instruments being used to control retro-reflection levels. To guarantee that markings and signs meet the required performance level, it is necessary to check performance on a regular basis. Checking is carried out using retro-reflectometers made specifically for this purpose.

Since the 1980s, DELTA has developed and manufactured high quality retro-reflectometers and was the first in the world to sell this type of instrument. DELTA's instruments are available worldwide and recognised as the leading brand; they are easy for the operator to handle and calibrate and offer accurate and reliable measurements, while recorded data are automatically stored and easily transferred to a PC using proprietary software. In other words, DELTA offers the appropriate instruments for checking the quality of retro-reflection from road markings and road signs, helping road owners securing safe driving conditions.

How can DELTA make the work of securing safe driving condition easier in the future?

PS. The short answer is by going mobile. Having focused so far on handheld instruments, DELTA is currently finalising the development of its first mobile retro-reflectometer for road markings. Mounted on the side of a car, retro-reflection can be measured at normal driving speed and in the full length and width of road markings. A new technology used for this instrument automatically compensates for vehicle movements, making DELTA's LTL-M much more accurate compared to other instruments on the market. LTL-M will be almost as easy to operate and as accurate as DELTA's current handheld instruments, a clear improvement compared to existing mobile systems. LTL-M is in its final development and will be launched at the beginning of 2011.

How does DELTA see the future development for measurement of retro-reflection and other road parameters?

PS. DELTA believes that the future belongs to mobile solutions. Our customers are looking for a complete overview of their assets, and they want to plan maintenance based on facts and not guesswork. DELTA wants to support this development initially with LTL-M, and we are also looking to develop an accurate and easy to operate mobile solution for measuring retro-reflection from road signs. We still need some time to work on this project, but as the leading company in this field we are committed to coming up with a solution.

Poul Svensgaard is Executive Vice President of DELTA's Light & Optics Division, and is heading the current MENA focus at DELTA for its line of road safety instruments.